anchor point

[lonearcher12]

Hello everyone..I have been shooting my longbow and having trouble reaching my anchor point. id like to take it back to my lip or further but it is feeling like i pull the bow to the left when i bring it out that far. any adivice would be great on how i can fix it or make it feel more comfortable. Thanks!!

[dragon rider]

Without knowing whether you're shooting RH or LH it's kind of hard to tell much, but it may be that you're trying to draw with your arm instead of your back muscles.  If you do that, especially with a heavy bow, your bow arm side will try to help with the pull, which will move a right handed shooter's bow arm to the left.  Try concentrating on pulling your shoulder blades together as you're drawing and see if that does anything for you.

[lonearcher12]

Thanks and sorry Im a right handed shooter. I shoot 55# at 28 inches I have longer arms so Id like to get more draw length than 28 I just need to get the anchor point problem fixed.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

You may be overbowed.  How long have you been shooting trad and how long have you been shooting that weight?

[lonearcher12]

I switched over about a year ago from a 70# compound to the 55# longbow. been shooting it since. I killed a doe with it this arhery season and i shoot pretty good but my goal is to get a better anchor point that will give it more power..so i know im getting 55lbs or more.

[The Night Stalker]

sent you a email

[zetabow]

Sounds like alignment problem and not using back tension to draw, I suspect you're overbowed.

It's all about correct technique. See if you can get a lighter practice bow 40#, even a stretch band would do to teach yourself the feeling of correct setup and back tension draw and it should help give you the control you need to reach full anchor.

Lip Anchor is not good, find solid bone contact with cheek or Jaw bone.

[jamesh76]

I agree that your overbowed. I have a 20# bow that I use from time to time just so that I can practice on my form and release.

[cbCrow]

I have this problem from time to time. What I do is have someone watch me and tell me the position of my rt. elbow if it is below the shoulder I know I am not using the back muscles. If that is the case I move 5-8 yds. from the target and concentrate on that part until everthing falls back into place. Hope this helps.

[graysquirrel]

kinda agree on the overbowed part. I also have a light 40lb bow to keep form up.

But you gotta remember even Howard Hill "shortened" his draw on purpose to get at what he called the proper 28 inch draw.

[freefeet]

Originally posted by graysquirrel:
But you gotta remember even Howard Hill "shortened" his draw on purpose to get at what he called the proper 28 inch draw.

According to Byron Ferguson's book "Become the Arrow", Howard shortened his draw in order to get wooden arrows to spine correctly for the weights of bows he shot - not because he thought 28 inch was the proper draw length.

[graysquirrel]

Which was why Howard called it the proper draw and the reasoning behind it is exactly as you stated it freefeet

[John Kennedy]

I too would suggest practicing with a lighter draw weight bow to work on your form,just a few pounds will make a difference for practice.

[zetabow]

Interesting test my Korean Coach got me to try, Draw the Bow to anchor, hold for 7 seconds, come down to half draw for 3 sec then back to full draw for 7 seconds, repeat this routine at 7 times. He said if you can't do this repeat exercise more than 5 times you're overbowed.

I shoot 45# tourney LongBow and use 65# stetch band to do this exercise as it's good way to build those muscles and my real Bow feels like a trainer Bow afterwards. lol

[Shooterboy]

I would wager that the majority of archers on this forum would not be able to accomplish the 7 times routine that Zetabow's Korean Coach recommended.  I think most of us tend to stretch our bow poundage and may lose some form in the process.  I can easily shoot a 60# bow pulled to 29 inches, which increases the poundage to about 63 pounds and can hold for 10 seconds, as Byron Ferguson suggests as a test and still hit my spot.  However, using a 52# bow @ 28 inch draw and pulling to 29 inch, my draw length, I could only get 5 times on the routine suggested by Zetabow.  Good information!